Saturday, June 23, 2018

Radiance


By Catherynne M. Valente
Tor Books, 2016. 478 pgs. Fiction.

This book is a decopunk, pulp, Science Fiction, space opera, mystery. Set in a solar system that only vaguely resembles ours, this story is an homage to the golden age of film making.  Set in an alternate 1986 where the Edison family has been miserly with their patents and talking pictures are still a new invention, Severin Unck is a documentarian. She travels to exotic places in the solar system and investigates the mysteries of disappearing space colonies, particularly one on the water world of Venus. But the mystery of the disappearing colony extends to the disappearance of Severin herself.

Valente’s style is opulent and sparkling, just like the exotic and elegant characters she describes. The story is told in snatches of personal film archives, excerpts from reality TV, gossip magazines, and classic films. This is a galaxy-spanning mystery that will draw you in and take you to places you have never been.

Also, check out the audio version of this book. The narrator is amazing. 

AG

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